‘Homesick’ Grindle Back with Bulldogs; Mullen Video

Dan Mullen chatted with us hacks for a few minutes tonight following practice. In the course of conversation he explained the Xavier Grindle situation from his point of view.

Grindle, a freshman defensive back, left Starkville Friday to reportedly enroll at Pearl River Community College. He missed Friday’s two-a-day practices but was back on the field with the Bulldogs today. Mullen said he never spoke with PRCC coaches and that Grindle went home to Columbia because he was “homesick.”

“They came in, said hey, Xavier got in his car and went home,” Mullen said. “I talked to Melvin (Smith, cornerbacks coach), he called his mom, (who) said when I get home tonight I’m going to meet with him. She got home that night and met with him, got in the car the next morning, drove him back up here, and he just came in here.”

Asked what Grindle’s punishment for missing practices might be, Mullen said, “Apologizing to the team. It wasn’t like he stormed out or it was a big discipline issue.”

• OK, as for today’s practice, Mullen talks about it and about the offensive line in the video I shot. CLICK HERE to watch it.